Some corners of the internet act as bastions of healthy discussion, but out there on the wild web, discourse appears worse than ever before. If you’re tired of feeling your blood boil every time you get to the bottom of an article or open up your social media app of choice, here’s how to clean up your internet conversations. If there’s a site that you actually like to read comments on—yes, there are still a few decent ones out there—you can click the Shut Up button in your toolbar or press Ctrl+Shift+X to whitelist that site....

How to change your iPhone or iPad’s charging sound If you haven’t dived into automations on an Apple device, know that these are a series of actions that occur automatically when you trigger them. If you have smart home gadgets, you can use these unique commands to turn on the lights or play a specific playlist from your smart speaker once your iPhone connects to your WiFi, for example. You can also set up different actions that will only affect your device—like the one we’re talking about today....

The catch-all solution When your flavor proportions go wrong, the easiest way to get them back on track is to add more of the other ingredients you’re already using. Tossing in more water, broth, potatoes, carrots, or whatever you’ve got on hand will even things out. Of course, you’ll end up with more food than you anticipated, but at least it’ll be palatable. Thankfully, cooking is a skill you can practice, and there are ways to reverse course if you notice your food starting to stray from what you had planned....

Even importing data can be a complicated process. But Microsoft Excel’s mobile app allows you to take a picture of a table and paste the information directly into your spreadsheet. And no, that doesn’t mean sticking an image in there—it means the app can read, digitize, and paste the actual data into the corresponding cells. How to import data into an Excel sheet with your phone’s camera Importing data to an Excel spreadsheet using your phone camera is simple....

This bath bomb recipe makes about 12 orbs of colorful fun, but the exact count will depend on the size of the silicone bath bomb molds you use. via GIPHY Homemade bath bomb stats: Time: 10 minutes of work, several hours of drying timeCost: About $2 per bomb if you make a dozen and more if you add biodegradable glitter—but prices drop if you make a big batchDifficulty: Easy...

From your phone Yes, that pocketable device you use to take photos, text your friends and listen to music can also make phone calls—who knew? Just in case you’ve never opened it, the app you want is called Phone on both Android and iOS devices. With a plethora of devices at your disposal, you don’t even have to change the gadget you’re currently using to place a call and talk to whoever you want....

What does emotion regulation mean? One expert on emotion regulation, James J. Gross, another psychology professor at Stanford University, defines emotion regulation as “the processes by which individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they experience and express them.” He also points out that regulation is a set of processes that exist on a “continuum from conscious, effortful and controlled regulation to unconscious, effortless, and automatic regulation....

If you want to stay safe online, Facebook is an important part of the audit that’s required. Not only can unauthorized access reveal some of your most sensitive information, it can also lead hackers into other apps and accounts you’re connected to. Fortunately, Facebook has a wealth of tools and features designed to ensure that you—and only you—can get access. Before your next round of News Feed browsing and status updating, make sure you switch them on....

Microwaving metal is dangerous: FALSE (in some cases) If you’re wondering why you hear a loud zap when electromagnetic radiation hits a stainless-steel fork, know that it’s the shape, not the material, that’s the problem. Microwaves heat up food by vibrating water molecules, but if you raise the temperature on a knife or fork, the loose electrons on the metal will get stirred up, accumulating on sharp edges and potentially producing sparks....

Find WiFi (and power) You’re most likely going to need access to the internet to do your job, even if it’s just to email your boss or clients. Your first, and possibly most important, challenge when working from anywhere is finding a solid connection to the web. Getting out of the office can quite literally be a breath of fresh air, but it also comes with challenges. You’re away from the safety net of the office WiFi network and power outlets, not to mention the vending machine, water cooler, and photocopier....

1,681,359 Potential years of life lost to opioids in the United States in 2016—45 hours and 13 minutes for each person in the country. 916,869 Potential years of life lost to guns in the U.S. in 2016. That amounts to 24 hours and 49 minutes for each member of the population. 1.7x How much more likely a white American is to die from an opioid overdose in 2015 compared to a black American....

Some folks are finding humor in coverage of the storm though, resulting in some clever memes. Most of these memes involve actor Joaquin Phoenix, but others poke fun at the predicted paths Joaquin will take. While these are definitely funny, we’re obligated to remind you that hurricanes can be devastating and those who may be affected should take all of the necessary precautions. Follow along with PopSci‘s coverage of Hurricane Joaquin....

I grew up in a bike-crazed family, but it wasn’t until I got engaged to a velophile that the benefits really hit me. Here was a way to squeeze a workout and a commute into the same daily timeslot, avoid New York City’s ever-crumbling public transit infrastructure during rush hour, and enjoy the (relatively) fresh air of the Hudson River. And wait, there’s more: If you’re as whacky as the guy I’m marrying (who is bike-in-sub-freezing-weather-with-a-smile whacky) you can also use a bike to see—and save—the world....

NASA reported that InSight did not respond to communications from Earth on December 18th and that the last time the mission was able to contact the spacecraft was on December 15. The lander may have officially reached its end of operations. Short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, InSight launched in May 2018 on a mission to be the first robotic lander to look deep into the interior of the Red Planet to study its crust, mantle, and core....

But what seems even more variable is the value of the miles-per-gallon rating itself, which is why in 2012 the EPA started providing fuel economy ratings in another measurement too. Missed that? So did everyone else! This is the gallons-per-100-miles rating. Although it is in smaller type than the miles-per-gallon number, it should figure larger in your calculations when comparing cars. That’s because the gallons/100 miles rating makes it easier to compare the efficiency of different cars and estimate their likely annual fuel cost....

As Wired and elsewhere recently reported, a hacker known as Sick Codes presenting at this past weekend’s Def Con hacking convention in Las Vegas showcased their newfound ability to control multiple John Deere tractors via vehicles’ onboard touch screens. After months of experimentation on Deere circuit boards, Sick Codes figured out a way to essentially trick the computers during a “reboot check” to fool them into starting up as if being accessed by a certified dealership’s technicians....

I have an Amazfit Bip U Pro smartwatch, which tracks my runs. I use the paired Zepp app to analyze each run and on the map of my route the hill is always yellow—slow. This is what the Jaybird Vista 2 sports earbuds were made for. I’m a shameless Katy Perry listener when I’m running, and just before the hill I double tapped my right earbud to skip to “Firework....

Check out the new episode of our podcast! On this week’s episode, we talk about the slightly confusing new mini-smartphone from Palm and recap our full Google Pixel 3 smartphone review. We also dive into the ever-increasing presence of facial recognition at the airport and whether or not working too much can kill you. Perfect for a Monday, right? You can hear it in the player embedded above, subscribe on iTunes, follow us on SoundCloud, add us to your Stitcher, or listen however you prefer to get your podcasts....

What is the Clean Water Act? The Clean Water Act requires anyone who wishes to conduct business that could pollute waters of the United States (WOTUS) to first apply for a permit. A 2015 addition to the act, called the Clean Water Rule, expanded this red tape to some temporary (meaning they don’t flow year-round) and isolated (meaning they aren’t visibly connected to another body) waterways. The Trump Administration has already suspended the Clean Water Rule and wants to permanently kill it, as well as some protections that were in place before 2015....

Here are five technologies that epitomize the old morgue maxim Mortui vivos docent: The dead teach the living. Hair: Tracking a person’s movements Hair illustrates the route people took before they died by revealing what water they drank. In February, researchers from the University of Utah and scientific-analysis company IsoForensics reported that the isotope ratios of oxygen and hydrogen in hair can link a person to regional water sources—sometimes down to sections of a given American state....